Tomato hybrid sv1240tc and parents thereof

ABSTRACT

The invention provides seed and plants of tomato hybrid SV1240TC and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of tomato hybrid SV1240TC and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a tomato plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another tomato plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the fruit and gametes of such plants.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Appl. Ser. No.62/019,771, filed Jul. 1, 2014, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of plant breeding and, morespecifically, to the development of tomato hybrid SV1240TC and theinbred tomato lines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The goal of vegetable breeding is to combine various desirable traits ina single variety/hybrid. Such desirable traits may include any traitdeemed beneficial by a grower and/or consumer, including greater yield,resistance to insects or disease, tolerance to environmental stress, andnutritional value.

Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination.There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates ifpollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower ofthe same plant or plant variety. A plant cross-pollinates if pollencomes to it from a flower of a different plant variety.

Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over manygenerations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce auniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A crossbetween two such homozygous plants of different genotypes produces auniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for many geneloci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number ofloci produces a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically andare not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makes performanceunpredictable.

The development of uniform varieties requires the development ofhomozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and theevaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection areexamples of breeding methods that have been used to develop inbredplants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine thegenetic backgrounds from two or more plants or various other broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which new lines and hybrids derivedtherefrom are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes.The new lines and hybrids are evaluated to determine which of those havecommercial potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a tomato plant of thehybrid designated SV1240TC, the tomato line FIR-15-2122 or tomato lineFDR-15-2054. Also provided are tomato plants having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of such a plant. Partsof these tomato plants are also provided, for example, including pollen,an ovule, scion, a rootstock, a fruit, and a cell of the plant.

In another aspect of the invention, a plant of tomato hybrid SV1240TCand/or tomato lines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054 comprising an addedheritable trait is provided. The heritable trait may comprise a geneticlocus that is, for example, a dominant or recessive allele. In oneembodiment of the invention, a plant of tomato hybrid SV1240TC and/ortomato lines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054 is defined as comprising asingle locus conversion. In specific embodiments of the invention, anadded genetic locus confers one or more traits such as, for example,herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, and modifiedcarbohydrate metabolism. In further embodiments, the trait may beconferred by a naturally occurring gene introduced into the genome of aline by backcrossing, a natural or induced mutation, or a transgeneintroduced through genetic transformation techniques into the plant or aprogenitor of any previous generation thereof. When introduced throughtransformation, a genetic locus may comprise one or more genesintegrated at a single chromosomal location.

The invention also concerns the seed of tomato hybrid SV1240TC and/ortomato lines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054. The tomato seed of theinvention may be provided as an essentially homogeneous population oftomato seed of tomato hybrid SV1240TC and/or tomato lines FIR-15-2122and FDR-15-2054. Essentially homogeneous populations of seed aregenerally free from substantial numbers of other seed. Therefore, insome embodiments, seed of hybrid SV1240TC and/or tomato linesFIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054 may be defined as forming at least about 97%of the total seed, including at least about 98%, 99% or more of theseed. The seed population may be separately grown to provide anessentially homogeneous population of tomato plants designated SV1240TCand/or tomato lines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a tissue culture of regenerablecells of a tomato plant of hybrid SV1240TC and/or tomato linesFIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054 is provided. The tissue culture willpreferably be capable of regenerating tomato plants capable ofexpressing all of the physiological and morphological characteristics ofthe starting plant, and of regenerating plants having substantially thesame genotype as the starting plant. Examples of some of thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the hybrid SV1240TCand/or tomato lines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054 include those traits setforth in the tables herein. The regenerable cells in such tissuecultures may be derived, for example, from embryos, meristems,cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, root tips, pistils, flowers,seed and stalks. Still further, the present invention provides tomatoplants regenerated from a tissue culture of the invention, the plantshaving all the physiological and morphological characteristics of hybridSV1240TC and/or tomato lines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, processes are provided forproducing tomato seeds, plants and fruit, which processes generallycomprise crossing a first parent tomato plant with a second parenttomato plant, wherein at least one of the first or second parent tomatoplants is a plant of tomato line FIR-15-2122 or tomato line FDR-15-2054.These processes may be further exemplified as processes for preparinghybrid tomato seed or plants, wherein a first tomato plant is crossedwith a second tomato plant of a different, distinct genotype to providea hybrid that has, as one of its parents, a plant of tomato lineFIR-15-2122 or tomato line FDR-15-2054. In these processes, crossingwill result in the production of seed. The seed production occursregardless of whether the seed is collected or not.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first step in “crossing”comprises planting seeds of a first and second parent tomato plant,often in proximity so that pollination will occur for example, mediatedby insect vectors. Alternatively, pollen can be transferred manually.Where the plant is self-pollinated, pollination may occur without theneed for direct human intervention other than plant cultivation.

A second step may comprise cultivating or growing the seeds of first andsecond parent tomato plants into plants that bear flowers. A third stepmay comprise preventing self-pollination of the plants, such as byemasculating the flowers (i.e., killing or removing the pollen).

A fourth step for a hybrid cross may comprise cross-pollination betweenthe first and second parent tomato plants. Yet another step comprisesharvesting the seeds from at least one of the parent tomato plants. Theharvested seed can be grown to produce a tomato plant or hybrid tomatoplant.

The present invention also provides the tomato seeds and plants producedby a process that comprises crossing a first parent tomato plant with asecond parent tomato plant, wherein at least one of the first or secondparent tomato plants is a plant of tomato hybrid SV1240TC and/or tomatolines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054. In one embodiment of the invention,tomato seed and plants produced by the process are first generation (F₁)hybrid tomato seed and plants produced by crossing a plant in accordancewith the invention with another, distinct plant. The present inventionfurther contemplates plant parts of such an F₁ hybrid tomato plant, andmethods of use thereof. Therefore, certain exemplary embodiments of theinvention provide an F₁ hybrid tomato plant and seed thereof.

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method ofproducing a plant derived from hybrid SV1240TC and/or tomato linesFIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054, the method comprising the steps of: (a)preparing a progeny plant derived from hybrid SV1240TC and/or tomatolines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054, wherein said preparing comprisescrossing a plant of the hybrid SV1240TC and/or tomato lines FIR-15-2122and FDR-15-2054 with a second plant; and (b) crossing the progeny plantwith itself or a second plant to produce a seed of a progeny plant of asubsequent generation. In further embodiments, the method mayadditionally comprise: (c) growing a progeny plant of a subsequentgeneration from said seed of a progeny plant of a subsequent generationand crossing the progeny plant of a subsequent generation with itself ora second plant; and repeating the steps for an additional 3-10generations to produce a plant derived from hybrid SV1240TC and/ortomato lines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054. The plant derived from hybridSV1240TC and/or tomato lines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054 may be aninbred line, and the aforementioned repeated crossing steps may bedefined as comprising sufficient inbreeding to produce the inbred line.In the method, it may be desirable to select particular plants resultingfrom step (c) for continued crossing according to steps (b) and (c). Byselecting plants having one or more desirable traits, a plant derivedfrom hybrid SV1240TC and/or tomato lines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054 isobtained which possesses some of the desirable traits of the line/hybridas well as potentially other selected traits.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofproducing food or feed comprising: (a) obtaining a plant of tomatohybrid SV1240TC and/or tomato lines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054, whereinthe plant has been cultivated to maturity, and (b) collecting at leastone tomato from the plant.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, the genetic complement oftomato hybrid SV1240TC and/or tomato lines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054is provided. The phrase “genetic complement” is used to refer to theaggregate of nucleotide sequences, the expression of which sequencesdefines the phenotype of, in the present case, a tomato plant, or a cellor tissue of that plant. A genetic complement thus represents thegenetic makeup of a cell, tissue or plant, and a hybrid geneticcomplement represents the genetic make up of a hybrid cell, tissue orplant. The invention thus provides tomato plant cells that have agenetic complement in accordance with the tomato plant cells disclosedherein, and seeds and plants containing such cells.

Plant genetic complements may be assessed by genetic marker profiles,and by the expression of phenotypic traits that are characteristic ofthe expression of the genetic complement, e.g., isozyme typing profiles.It is understood that hybrid SV1240TC and/or tomato lines FIR-15-2122and FDR-15-2054 could be identified by any of the many well knowntechniques such as, for example, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 1 8:6531-6535, 1990),Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified FragmentLength Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety), and Single NucleotidePolymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998).

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides hybridgenetic complements, as represented by tomato plant cells, tissues,plants, and seeds, formed by the combination of a haploid geneticcomplement of a tomato plant of the invention with a haploid geneticcomplement of a second tomato plant, preferably, another, distincttomato plant. In another aspect, the present invention provides a tomatoplant regenerated from a tissue culture that comprises a hybrid geneticcomplement of this invention.

Any embodiment discussed herein with respect to one aspect of theinvention applies to other aspects of the invention as well, unlessspecifically noted.

The term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the standarddeviation of the mean for the device or method being employed todetermine the value. The use of the term “or” in the claims is used tomean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives onlyor the alternatives are mutually exclusive. When used in conjunctionwith the word “comprising” or other open language in the claims, thewords “a” and “an” denote “one or more,” unless specifically notedotherwise. The terms “comprise,” “have” and “include” are open-endedlinking verbs. Any forms or tenses of one or more of these verbs, suchas “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes” and“including,” are also open-ended. For example, any method that“comprises,” “has” or “includes” one or more steps is not limited topossessing only those one or more steps and also covers other unlistedsteps. Similarly, any plant that “comprises,” “has” or “includes” one ormore traits is not limited to possessing only those one or more traitsand covers other unlisted traits.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the detailed description and any specificexamples provided, while indicating specific embodiments of theinvention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from this detaileddescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides methods and compositions relating to plants,seeds and derivatives of tomato hybrid SV1240TC, tomato line FIR-15-2122and tomato line FDR-15-2054.

Tomato hybrid SV1240TC, also known as 13-A8-CCT-4036, has red fruitcolor around 60-90 g in size and good brix levels comparable or betterthan hybrid Elegance. The plant is moderately vigorous and is suitablefor glass house production due to its TMV resistance.

A. Origin and Breeding History of Tomato Hybrid SV1240TC

The parents of hybrid SV1240TC are FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054. Theseparents were created as follows:

Parent line FIR-15-2122 is indeterminate and carries resistance to TOMV,Nematodes, F2, Verticillium dahlia and Fusarium Crown Rot. LineFIR-15-2122 was derived from selfing of the hybrid Campari.

Parent line FDR-15-2054 is determinate and carries resistance to F2, F3,ASC, GLS and TOTV as well as having the long shelf life rin gene. LineFDR-15-2054 was derived from 7547r.

The parent lines are uniform and stable, as is a hybrid producedtherefrom. A small percentage of variants can occur within commerciallyacceptable limits for almost any characteristic during the course ofrepeated multiplication. However no variants are expected.

B. Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Tomato HybridSV1240TC, Tomato Line FIR-15-2122 and Tomato Line FDR-15-2054

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a plant having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of tomato hybrid SV1240TC and the parent lines thereof.A description of the physiological and morphological characteristics ofsuch plants is presented in Tables 1-2.

TABLE 1 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of HybridSV1240TC Comparison: Characteristic SV1240TC PINNACLE 1. Seedlinganthocyanin in hypocotyl of 2-15 absent present cm seedling habit of 3-4week old seedling normal normal 2. Mature Plant height 98.0 cm  79.3 cm growth type deter- indeter- minate minate Number of inflorescences onmain many stem (side shoots to be removed) form lax, open lax, open sizeof canopy (compared to others large large of similar type) habitsprawling semi-erect 3. Stem anthocyanin coloration weak weak branchingprofuse intermediate branching at cotyledon or first present presentleafy node number of nodes between first 4 to 7  7 to 10 inflorescencenumber of nodes between early (1^(st) 1 to 4 1 to 4 to 2^(nd), 2^(nd) to3^(rd)) inflorescences number of nodes between later 10 or more 1 to 4developing inflorescences pubescence on younger stems moderatelymoderately hairy hairy 4. Leaf type (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd)tomato tomato inflorescence) Type of blade pinnate pinnate Morphology(mature leaf beneath 1   2   the 3rd inflorescence) margins of majorleaflets (mature shallowly shallowly leaf beneath the 3^(rd)inflorescence) toothed or toothed or scalloped scalloped marginalrolling or wiltiness (mature moderate slight leaf beneath the 3^(rd)inflorescence) onset of leaflet rolling midseason early season surfaceof major leaflets (mature leaf smooth smooth beneath the 3^(rd)inflorescence) pubescence (mature leaf beneath the hirsute normal 3^(rd)inflorescence) attitude (in middle third of plant) horizontal horizontallength long long width medium broad size of leaflets (in middle of leaf)small medium intensity of green color dark dark glossiness (as for 6)medium medium blistering (as for 6) strong weak attitude of petiole ofleaflet in horizontal semi-erect relation to main axis (in middle ofleaf) 5. Inflorescence inflorescence type mainly intermediate uniparoustype (3^(rd) inflorescence) simple forked (2 major axes) average numberof flowers in 8.8 4.4 inflorescence (3^(rd) inflorescence) leafy or“running” inflorescence absent frequent (3^(rd) inflorescence) 6. Flowercolor yellow yellow calyx normal normal (lobes awl shaped) calyx-lobesshorter than shorter than corolla corolla corolla color yellow yellowstyle pubescence sparse absent anthers all fused all fused into tubeinto tube fasciation (1^(st) flower of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) absent absentinflorescence) abscission layer present present (pedicellate) pedicel:length medium medium 7. Fruit surface smooth smooth base color(mature-green stage) light green light green pattern (mature-greenstage) uniform uniform green green green shoulder (before maturity)absent absent intensity of green color excluding light light shoulder(before maturity) green stripes (before maturity) absent absent sizesmall medium ratio length/diameter very medium compressed typical shapein longitudinal section circular oblate (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or3^(rd) cluster) shape in longitudinal section (3^(rd) fruit circularoblate of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) shape of transverse/cross section(3^(rd) round round fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) shape of blossomend 2   1   shape of stem end (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or indentedindented 3^(rd) cluster) shape of blossom end flat indented to flatshape of pistil scar (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) stellate stellate or 3^(rd)cluster) ribbing at peduncle end absent or weak very weak depression atpeduncle end absent or weak very weak size of stem/peduncle scar smallmedium size of blossom scar small small point of detachment of fruit atharvest at pedicel at pedicel (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster)joint joint length of pedicel (from joint to calyx 11.2 mm 12.6 mmattachment) length of mature fruit (stem axis) 40.9 mm 52.6 mm diameterof fruit at widest point 41.4 mm 63.3 mm weight of mature fruit  43.0grams  122.8 grams core present present diameter of core in crosssection in large very large relation to total diameter number of loculesfive or more five or more number of locules four, five four, five, orsix or six color, full ripe red red color (at maturity) red red fleshcolor, full-ripe red/crimson red/crimson color of flesh (at maturity)red red glossiness of skin strong strong flesh color uniform uniformlocular gel color of table-ripe fruit red red firmness medium mediumshelf life short short time of flowering early early time of maturityvery early medium ripening uniform uniform ripening uniformityuniformity epidermis color yellow yellow epidermis easy-peel easy-peelepidermis texture tender tender thickness of pericarp thin mediumsensitivity to silvering insensitive insensitive 8. Chemistry andComposition of Full-Ripe Fruits pH 4.3 4.3 titratable acidity, as %citric 6.7 6.5 total solids (dry matter, seeds and 5.8 5.4 skin removed)soluble Solids as ° Brix 5.5 5.2 9. Phenology seeding to 50% flow (1open on 50% 63   55   of plants) seeding to once over harvest (if 113   113    applicable) fruiting season short, short, concentratedconcentrated 10. Adaptation culture field field *These are typicalvalues. Values may vary due to environment. Other values that aresubstantially equivalent are also within the scope of the invention.

TABLE 2 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of LineFIR-15-2122 Comparison: Characteristic FIR-15-2122 Pinnacle 1. Seedlinganthocyanin in hypocotyl of 2-15 cm absent present seedling habit of 3-4week old seedling normal normal 2. Mature Plant height 50.6 cm 79.3 cmgrowth type indeter- indeter- minate minate plant: number ofinflorescences on many main stem (side shoots to be removed) form lax,open lax, open size of canopy (compared to others of medium largesimilar type) habit semi-erect semi-erect stem: anthocyanin colorationmedium weak stem: length of internode (only medium medium indeterminategrowth type varieties) height (only indeterminate growth medium longtype varieties) 3. Stem branching inter- inter- mediate mediatebranching at cotyledon or first leafy absent present node number ofnodes between first 1 to 4  7 to 10 inflorescence number of nodesbetween early (1^(st) to 1 to 4 1 to 4 2^(nd), 2^(nd) to 3^(rd))inflorescences number of nodes between later 1 to 4 1 to 4 developinginflorescences pubescence on younger stems moderately moderately hairyhairy 4. Leaf type (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd) tomato tomatoinflorescence) type of blade pinnate pinnate margins of major leaflets(mature leaf shallowly shallowly beneath the 3^(rd) inflorescence)toothed or toothed or scalloped scalloped marginal rolling or wiltiness(mature moderate slight leaf beneath the 3^(rd) inflorescence) onset ofleaflet rolling mid season early season surface of major leaflets(mature leaf smooth smooth beneath the 3^(rd) inflorescence) pubescence(mature leaf beneath the normal normal 3^(rd) inflorescence) attitude(in middle third of plant) semi-erect horizontal length medium longwidth medium broad size of leaflets small medium intensity of greencolor dark dark glossiness medium medium blistering medium weak attitudeof petiole of leaflet in relation semi-drooping semi-erect to main axis5. Inflorescence inflorescence type mainly inter- uniparous mediate type(3^(rd) inflorescence) simple forked average number of flowers in 7.44.4 inflorescence (3^(rd) inflorescence) leafy or “running”inflorescence (3^(rd) absent frequent inflorescence) 6. Flower coloryellow yellow calyx normal normal (lobes awl shaped) calyx-lobes shorterthan shorter than corolla corolla corolla color yellow yellow stylepubescence sparse absent anthers all fused all fused into tube into tubefasciation (1^(st) flower of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) absent absentinflorescence) 7. Fruit peduncle: abscission layer present present(pedicellate) pedicel: length (only varieties with short medium peduncleabscission layer present) surface smooth smooth base color (mature-greenstage) apple or light green medium green pattern (mature-green stage)uniform uniform green green green shoulder (before maturity) absentabsent intensity of green color excluding light light shoulder (beforematurity) green stripes (before maturity) absent absent size smallmedium ratio length/diameter moderately medium compressed shape inlongitudinal section circular oblate shape of transverse/cross section(3rd round round fruit of 2nd or 3rd cluster) shape of stem end (3rdfruit of 2nd or indented indented 3rd cluster) shape of blossom end flatto indented pointed to flat shape of pistil scar (3rd fruit of 2nd dotstellate or 3rd cluster) ribbing at peduncle end absent or weak veryweak depression at peduncle end weak weak size of stem/peduncle scarsmall medium size of blossom scar very small small point of detachmentof fruit at harvest at pedicel at pedicel (3rd fruit of 2nd or 3rdcluster) joint joint length of pedicel (3rd fruit of 2nd or  7.9 mm 12.6mm 3rd cluster) length of mature fruit (3rd fruit of 32.7 mm 52.6 mm 2ndor 3rd cluster) diameter of fruit (3rd fruit of 2nd or 38.2 mm 63.3 mm3rd cluster) weight of mature fruit (3rd fruit of  29.6 grams  122.8grams 2nd or 3rd cluster) core present present diameter of core in crosssection in large very large relation to total diameter number of loculesfive or more five or more number of locules four, five four, five *referto TG for pictures of locules or six or six color, full ripe red redcolor (at maturity) red red flesh color, full-ripe red/crimsonred/crimson color of flesh (at maturity) red red glossiness of skinstrong strong flesh color uniform uniform locular gel color oftable-ripe fruit red red firmness medium medium shelf life medium shorttime of flowering early early time of maturity very early mediumripening uniform uniform ripening uniformity uniformity epidermis coloryellow yellow epidermis normal easy-peel epidermis texture tender tenderthickness of pericarp thin medium sensitivity to silvering insensitiveinsensitive 8. Phenology seeding to 50% flow (1 open on 50% 62   55   ofplants) seeding to once over harvest (if 108    113    applicable)fruiting season short, short, concentrated concentrated 9. Adaptationculture field field 10. Chemistry and Composition of Full-Ripe Fruits pH4   4.3 Titratable acidity, as % citric 9.4 6.5 Total solids (drymatter, seeds and 6.6 5.4 skin removed) Soluble solids as ° Brix 6.2 5.2*These are typical values. Values may vary due to environment. Othervalues that are substantially equivalent are also within the scope ofthe invention.

C. Breeding Tomato Plants

One aspect of the current invention concerns methods for producing seedof tomato hybrid SV1240TC involving crossing tomato lines FIR-15-2122and FDR-15-2054. Alternatively, in other embodiments of the invention,hybrid SV1240TC, line FIR-15-2122, or line FDR-15-2054 may be crossedwith itself or with any second plant. Such methods can be used forpropagation of hybrid SV1240TC and/or the tomato lines FIR-15-2122 andFDR-15-2054, or can be used to produce plants that are derived fromhybrid SV1240TC and/or the tomato lines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054.Plants derived from hybrid SV1240TC and/or the tomato lines FIR-15-2122and FDR-15-2054 may be used, in certain embodiments, for the developmentof new tomato varieties.

The development of new varieties using one or more starting varieties iswell known in the art. In accordance with the invention, novel varietiesmay be created by crossing hybrid SV1240TC followed by multiplegenerations of breeding according to such well known methods. Newvarieties may be created by crossing with any second plant. In selectingsuch a second plant to cross for the purpose of developing novel lines,it may be desired to choose those plants which either themselves exhibitone or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit thedesired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Once initialcrosses have been made, inbreeding and selection take place to producenew varieties. For development of a uniform line, often five or moregenerations of selfing and selection are involved.

Uniform lines of new varieties may also be developed by way ofdouble-haploids. This technique allows the creation of true breedinglines without the need for multiple generations of selfing andselection. In this manner true breeding lines can be produced in aslittle as one generation. Haploid embryos may be produced frommicrospores, pollen, anther cultures, or ovary cultures. The haploidembryos may then be doubled autonomously, or by chemical treatments(e.g. colchicine treatment). Alternatively, haploid embryos may be growninto haploid plants and treated to induce chromosome doubling. In eithercase, fertile homozygous plants are obtained. In accordance with theinvention, any of such techniques may be used in connection with a plantof the invention and progeny thereof to achieve a homozygous line.

Backcrossing can also be used to improve an inbred plant. Backcrossingtransfers a specific desirable trait from one inbred or non-inbredsource to an inbred that lacks that trait. This can be accomplished, forexample, by first crossing a superior inbred (A) (recurrent parent) to adonor inbred (non-recurrent parent), which carries the appropriate locusor loci for the trait in question. The progeny of this cross are thenmated back to the superior recurrent parent (A) followed by selection inthe resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from thenon-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations withselection for the desired trait, the progeny have the characteristicbeing transferred, but are like the superior parent for most or almostall other loci. The last backcross generation would be selfed to givepure breeding progeny for the trait being transferred.

The plants of the present invention are particularly well suited for thedevelopment of new lines based on the elite nature of the geneticbackground of the plants. In selecting a second plant to cross withSV1240TC and/or tomato lines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054 for the purposeof developing novel tomato lines, it will typically be preferred tochoose those plants which either themselves exhibit one or more selecteddesirable characteristics or which exhibit the desired characteristic(s)when in hybrid combination. Examples of desirable traits may include, inspecific embodiments, high seed yield, high seed germination, seedlingvigor, high fruit yield, disease tolerance or resistance, andadaptability for soil and climate conditions. Consumer-driven traits,such as a fruit shape, color, texture, and taste are other examples oftraits that may be incorporated into new lines of tomato plantsdeveloped by this invention.

D. Performance Characteristics

As described above, hybrid SV1240TC exhibits desirable traits, asconferred by tomato lines FIR-15-2122 and FDR-15-2054. The performancecharacteristics of hybrid SV1240TC and tomato lines FIR-15-2122 andFDR-15-2054 were the subject of an objective analysis of the performancetraits relative to other varieties.

TABLE 3 Performance data of hybrid SV1240TC and Comparative VarietiesProd Dt/Id IntNodeL PltVg Joint YLD FSUP FSLOW FrtFm FtSzU SV1240TC I 35 JT 3 3 3 4 5 ELEGANCE I 5 4 JT 5 5 5 5 7 Prod FrtShp FtShpU Clr frtclrGrnShd ClxScr BlosEScar Early SV1240TC R 5 5 R 1 1 1 3 ELEGANCE RF 6 3 R1 1 1 3 Average of Average of Average of TitrAcidity Average of UnitWeight Lycopene Average millimoles TA7 millimoles Average Prod DayMatSDUR0 FBRIX Grams2 ppm of pH H+/100 g H+/100 g of BAR SV1240TC 101 80 7.762.4 60.5 4.2 6.6 6.0 4.5 ELEGANCE 134 73 5.3 70.7 82.3 4.4 5.2 4.6 5.5Average Average of Average of Average of Average of of MSG Aspartic AcidAverage of Average of Squisho Avg Squisho Std Compression micromoles/micromoles/ Hue (Hunter) Chroma Prod Millimeter Millimeter Force gmsgram gram Index (Hunter) Index SV1240TC 3.8 0.4 1306.7 16.4 4.3 31.723.7 ELEGANCE 3.5 1.0 1306.3 15.9 5.3 30.3 22.6Dt/Id—Determinate/indeterminate IntNodeL—Internode Length (1 = short)PltVg—Plant Vigor Joint—Jointed/joint less YLD—Yield FSLOW—Fruit setlower on plant FSUP—Fruit set on upper plant FrtFm—Fruit firmnessFtSzU—Fruit size uniformity FrtShp—Fruit shape (round, round-flat)FtShpU—Fruit shape uniformity FrtShp—Fruit shape (round, round-flat)FtShpU—Fruit shape uniformity Clr—Color intensity Frtclr—Fruit color(red) GrnShd—Green shoulder (1 = absent) ClxScr—Calyx/peduncle scar sizeBlosEScar—Blossom end scar size Early—Earliness (1 = very early)DayMatS—Days to 1st mature fruit from sowing DUR0—Durometer firmnessFBRIX—Field brixs All scores 1 = best, 9 = worst

E. Further Embodiments of the Invention

In certain aspects of the invention, plants described herein areprovided modified to include at least a first desired heritable trait.Such plants may, in one embodiment, be developed by a plant breedingtechnique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to a genetic locus transferred into the plant viathe backcrossing technique. The term single locus converted plant asused herein refers to those tomato plants which are developed by a plantbreeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to the single locus transferred into the varietyvia the backcrossing technique. By essentially all of the morphologicaland physiological characteristics, it is meant that the characteristicsof a plant are recovered that are otherwise present when compared in thesame environment, other than an occasional variant trait that mightarise during backcrossing or direct introduction of a transgene.

Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improveor introduce a characteristic into the present variety. The parentaltomato plant which contributes the locus for the desired characteristicis termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. This terminology refers tothe fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used one time in the backcrossprotocol and therefore does not recur. The parental tomato plant towhich the locus or loci from the nonrecurrent parent are transferred isknown as the recurrent parent as it is used for several rounds in thebackcrossing protocol.

In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest(recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent)that carries the single locus of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a tomato plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the convertedplant, in addition to the single transferred locus from the nonrecurrentparent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for asuccessful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol isto alter or substitute a single trait or characteristic in the originalvariety. To accomplish this, a single locus of the recurrent variety ismodified or substituted with the desired locus from the nonrecurrentparent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desiredgenetic, and therefore the desired physiological and morphologicalconstitution of the original variety. The choice of the particularnonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross; one ofthe major purposes is to add some commercially desirable trait to theplant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristicor trait being altered and the genetic distance between the recurrentand nonrecurrent parents. Although backcrossing methods are simplifiedwhen the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, arecessive allele, or an additive allele (between recessive anddominant), may also be transferred. In this instance it may be necessaryto introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

In one embodiment, progeny tomato plants of a backcross in which a plantdescribed herein is the recurrent parent comprise (i) the desired traitfrom the non-recurrent parent and (ii) all of the physiological andmorphological characteristics of tomato the recurrent parent asdetermined at the 5% significance level when grown in the sameenvironmental conditions.

New varieties can also be developed from more than two parents. Thetechnique, known as modified backcrossing, uses different recurrentparents during the backcrossing. Modified backcrossing may be used toreplace the original recurrent parent with a variety having certain moredesirable characteristics or multiple parents may be used to obtaindifferent desirable characteristics from each.

With the development of molecular markers associated with particulartraits, it is possible to add additional traits into an established germline, such as represented here, with the end result being substantiallythe same base germplasm with the addition of a new trait or traits.Molecular breeding, as described in Moose and Mumm, 2008 (PlantPhysiology, 147: 969-977), for example, and elsewhere, provides amechanism for integrating single or multiple traits or QTL into an eliteline. This molecular breeding-facilitated movement of a trait or traitsinto an elite line may encompass incorporation of a particular genomicfragment associated with a particular trait of interest into the eliteline by the mechanism of identification of the integrated genomicfragment with the use of flanking or associated marker assays. In theembodiment represented here, one, two, three or four genomic loci, forexample, may be integrated into an elite line via this methodology. Whenthis elite line containing the additional loci is further crossed withanother parental elite line to produce hybrid offspring, it is possibleto then incorporate at least eight separate additional loci into thehybrid. These additional loci may confer, for example, such traits as adisease resistance or a fruit quality trait. In one embodiment, eachlocus may confer a separate trait. In another embodiment, loci may needto be homozygous and exist in each parent line to confer a trait in thehybrid. In yet another embodiment, multiple loci may be combined toconfer a single robust phenotype of a desired trait.

Many single locus traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new inbred but that can be improvedby backcrossing techniques. Single locus traits may or may not betransgenic; examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,herbicide resistance, resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease,insect resistance, modified fatty acid or carbohydrate metabolism, andaltered nutritional quality. These comprise genes generally inheritedthrough the nucleus.

Direct selection may be applied where the single locus acts as adominant trait. For this selection process, the progeny of the initialcross are assayed for viral resistance and/or the presence of thecorresponding gene prior to the backcrossing. Selection eliminates anyplants that do not have the desired gene and resistance trait, and onlythose plants that have the trait are used in the subsequent backcross.This process is then repeated for all additional backcross generations.

Selection of tomato plants for breeding is not necessarily dependent onthe phenotype of a plant and instead can be based on geneticinvestigations. For example, one can utilize a suitable genetic markerwhich is closely genetically linked to a trait of interest. One of thesemarkers can be used to identify the presence or absence of a trait inthe offspring of a particular cross, and can be used in selection ofprogeny for continued breeding. This technique is commonly referred toas marker assisted selection. Any other type of genetic marker or otherassay which is able to identify the relative presence or absence of atrait of interest in a plant can also be useful for breeding purposes.Procedures for marker assisted selection are well known in the art. Suchmethods will be of particular utility in the case of recessive traitsand variable phenotypes, or where conventional assays may be moreexpensive, time consuming or otherwise disadvantageous. Types of geneticmarkers which could be used in accordance with the invention include,but are not necessarily limited to, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 1 8:6531-6535, 1990),Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified FragmentLength Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety), and Single NucleotidePolymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998).

F. Plants Derived by Genetic Engineering

Many useful traits that can be introduced by backcrossing, as well asdirectly into a plant, are those which are introduced by genetictransformation techniques. Genetic transformation may therefore be usedto insert a selected transgene into a plant of the invention or may,alternatively, be used for the preparation of transgenes which can beintroduced by backcrossing. Methods for the transformation of plantsthat are well known to those of skill in the art and applicable to manycrop species include, but are not limited to, electroporation,microprojectile bombardment, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation anddirect DNA uptake by protoplasts.

To effect transformation by electroporation, one may employ eitherfriable tissues, such as a suspension culture of cells or embryogeniccallus or alternatively one may transform immature embryos or otherorganized tissue directly. In this technique, one would partiallydegrade the cell walls of the chosen cells by exposing them topectin-degrading enzymes (pectolyases) or mechanically wound tissues ina controlled manner.

An efficient method for delivering transforming DNA segments to plantcells is microprojectile bombardment. In this method, particles arecoated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propellingforce. Exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten,platinum, and preferably, gold. For the bombardment, cells in suspensionare concentrated on filters or solid culture medium. Alternatively,immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culturemedium. The cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriatedistance below the macroprojectile stopping plate.

An illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering DNA into plantcells by acceleration is the Biolistics Particle Delivery System, whichcan be used to propel particles coated with DNA or cells through ascreen, such as a stainless steel or Nytex screen, onto a surfacecovered with target cells. The screen disperses the particles so thatthey are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates.Microprojectile bombardment techniques are widely applicable, and may beused to transform virtually any plant species.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is another widely applicable system forintroducing gene loci into plant cells. An advantage of the technique isthat DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues, thereby bypassingthe need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast. ModernAgrobacterium transformation vectors are capable of replication in E.coli as well as Agrobacterium, allowing for convenient manipulations(Klee et al., Bio-Technology, 3(7):637-642, 1985). Moreover, recenttechnological advances in vectors for Agrobacterium-mediated genetransfer have improved the arrangement of genes and restriction sites inthe vectors to facilitate the construction of vectors capable ofexpressing various polypeptide coding genes. The vectors described haveconvenient multi-linker regions flanked by a promoter and apolyadenylation site for direct expression of inserted polypeptidecoding genes. Additionally, Agrobacterium containing both armed anddisarmed Ti genes can be used for transformation.

In those plant strains where Agrobacterium-mediated transformation isefficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and definednature of the gene locus transfer. The use of Agrobacterium-mediatedplant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is wellknown in the art (Fraley et al., Bio/Technology, 3:629-635, 1985; U.S.Pat. No. 5,563,055).

Transformation of plant protoplasts also can be achieved using methodsbased on calcium phosphate precipitation, polyethylene glycol treatment,electroporation, and combinations of these treatments (see, e.g.,Potrykus et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 199:183-188, 1985; Omirulleh et al.,Plant Mol. Biol., 21(3):415-428, 1993; Fromm et al., Nature,312:791-793, 1986; Uchimiya et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 204:204, 1986;Marcotte et al., Nature, 335:454, 1988). Transformation of plants andexpression of foreign genetic elements is exemplified in Choi et al.(Plant Cell Rep., 13: 344-348, 1994), and Ellul et al. (Theor. Appl.Genet., 107:462-469, 2003).

A number of promoters have utility for plant gene expression for anygene of interest including but not limited to selectable markers,scoreable markers, genes for pest tolerance, disease resistance,nutritional enhancements and any other gene of agronomic interest.Examples of constitutive promoters useful for plant gene expressioninclude, but are not limited to, the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV)P-35S promoter, which confers constitutive, high-level expression inmost plant tissues (see, e.g., Odel et al., Nature, 313:810, 1985),including in monocots (see, e.g., Dekeyser et al., Plant Cell, 2:591,1990; Terada and Shimamoto, Mol. Gen. Genet., 220:389, 1990); a tandemlyduplicated version of the CaMV 35S promoter, the enhanced 35S promoter(P-e35S);1 the nopaline synthase promoter (An et al., Plant Physiol.,88:547, 1988); the octopine synthase promoter (Fromm et al., Plant Cell,1:977, 1989); and the figwort mosaic virus (P-FMV) promoter as describedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619 and an enhanced version of the FMV promoter(P-eFMV) where the promoter sequence of P-FMV is duplicated in tandem;the cauliflower mosaic virus 19S promoter; a sugarcane bacilliform viruspromoter; a commelina yellow mottle virus promoter; and other plant DNAvirus promoters known to express in plant cells.

A variety of plant gene promoters that are regulated in response toenvironmental, hormonal, chemical, and/or developmental signals can alsobe used for expression of an operably linked gene in plant cells,including promoters regulated by (1) heat (Callis et al., PlantPhysiol., 88:965, 1988), (2) light (e.g., pea rbcS-3A promoter,Kuhlemeier et al., Plant Cell, 1:471, 1989; maize rbcS promoter,Schaffner and Sheen, Plant Cell, 3:997, 1991; or chlorophyll a/b-bindingprotein promoter, Simpson et al., EMBO J., 4:2723, 1985), (3) hormones,such as abscisic acid (Marcotte et al., Plant Cell, 1:969, 1989), (4)wounding (e.g., wunl, Siebertz et al., Plant Cell, 1:961, 1989); or (5)chemicals such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, or Safener. It mayalso be advantageous to employ organ-specific promoters (e.g., Roshal etal., EMBO J., 6:1155, 1987; Schernthaner et al., EMBO J., 7:1249, 1988;Bustos et al., Plant Cell, 1:839, 1989).

Exemplary nucleic acids which may be introduced to plants of thisinvention include, for example, DNA sequences or genes from anotherspecies, or even genes or sequences which originate with or are presentin the same species, but are incorporated into recipient cells bygenetic engineering methods rather than classical reproduction orbreeding techniques. However, the term “exogenous” is also intended torefer to genes that are not normally present in the cell beingtransformed, or perhaps simply not present in the form, structure, etc.,as found in the transforming DNA segment or gene, or genes which arenormally present and that one desires to express in a manner thatdiffers from the natural expression pattern, e.g., to over-express.Thus, the term “exogenous” gene or DNA is intended to refer to any geneor DNA segment that is introduced into a recipient cell, regardless ofwhether a similar gene may already be present in such a cell. The typeof DNA included in the exogenous DNA can include DNA which is alreadypresent in the plant cell, DNA from another plant, DNA from a differentorganism, or a DNA generated externally, such as a DNA sequencecontaining an antisense message of a gene, or a DNA sequence encoding asynthetic or modified version of a gene.

Many hundreds if not thousands of different genes are known and couldpotentially be introduced into a tomato plant according to theinvention. Non-limiting examples of particular genes and correspondingphenotypes one may choose to introduce into a tomato plant include oneor more genes for insect tolerance, such as a Bacillus thuringiensis(B.t.) gene, pest tolerance such as genes for fungal disease control,herbicide tolerance such as genes conferring glyphosate tolerance, andgenes for quality improvements such as yield, nutritional enhancements,environmental or stress tolerances, or any desirable changes in plantphysiology, growth, development, morphology or plant product(s). Forexample, structural genes would include any gene that confers insecttolerance including but not limited to a Bacillus insect control proteingene as described in WO 99/31248, herein incorporated by reference inits entirety, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052, herein incorporated by referencein its entirety, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,365 and 5,880,275, hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety. In another embodiment, thestructural gene can confer tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate asconferred by genes including, but not limited to Agrobacterium strainCP4 glyphosate resistant EPSPS gene (aroA:CP4) as described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,633,435, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, orglyphosate oxidoreductase gene (GOX) as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,463,175, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Alternatively, the DNA coding sequences can affect these phenotypes byencoding a non-translatable RNA molecule that causes the targetedinhibition of expression of an endogenous gene, for example viaantisense- or cosuppression-mediated mechanisms (see, for example, Birdet al., Biotech. Gen. Engin. Rev., 9:207, 1991). The RNA could also be acatalytic RNA molecule (i.e., a ribozyme) engineered to cleave a desiredendogenous mRNA product (see for example, Gibson and Shillito, Mol.Biotech., 7:125,1997). Thus, any gene which produces a protein or mRNAwhich expresses a phenotype or morphology change of interest is usefulfor the practice of the present invention.

G. Definitions

In the description and tables herein, a number of terms are used. Inorder to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, the following definitions are provided:

Allele: Any of one or more alternative forms of a gene locus, all ofwhich alleles relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cellor organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding locion a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Backcrossing: A process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybridprogeny, for example a first generation hybrid (F₁), back to one of theparents of the hybrid progeny. Backcrossing can be used to introduce oneor more single locus conversions from one genetic background intoanother.

Crossing: The mating of two parent plants.

Cross-pollination: Fertilization by the union of two gametes fromdifferent plants.

Diploid: A cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes.

Emasculate: The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation ofthe organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor or a chemicalagent conferring male sterility.

Enzymes: Molecules which can act as catalysts in biological reactions.

F₁ Hybrid: The first generation progeny of the cross of two nonisogenicplants.

Genotype: The genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Haploid: A cell or organism having one set of the two sets ofchromosomes in a diploid.

Linkage: A phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend tosegregate together more often than expected by chance if theirtransmission was independent.

Marker: A readily detectable phenotype, preferably inherited incodominant fashion (both alleles at a locus in a diploid heterozygoteare readily detectable), with no environmental variance component, i.e.,heritability of 1.

Phenotype: The detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, whichcharacteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL): Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer togenetic loci that control to some degree numerically representabletraits that are usually continuously distributed.

Resistance: As used herein, the terms “resistance” and “tolerance” areused interchangeably to describe plants that show no symptoms to aspecified biotic pest, pathogen, abiotic influence or environmentalcondition. These terms are also used to describe plants showing somesymptoms but that are still able to produce marketable product with anacceptable yield. Some plants that are referred to as resistant ortolerant are only so in the sense that they may still produce a crop,even though the plants are stunted and the yield is reduced.

Regeneration: The development of a plant from tissue culture.

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) color chart value: The RHS color chartis a standardized reference which allows accurate identification of anycolor. A color's designation on the chart describes its hue, brightnessand saturation. A color is precisely named by the RHS color chart byidentifying the group name, sheet number and letter, e.g., Yellow-OrangeGroup 19A or Red Group 41B.

Self-pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigmaof the same plant.

Single Locus Converted (Conversion) Plant: Plants which are developed bya plant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially allof the morphological and physiological characteristics of a tomatovariety are recovered in addition to the characteristics of the singlelocus transferred into the variety via the backcrossing technique and/orby genetic transformation.

Substantially Equivalent: A characteristic that, when compared, does notshow a statistically significant difference (e.g., p=0.05) from themean.

Tissue Culture: A composition comprising isolated cells of the same or adifferent type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of aplant.

Transgene: A genetic locus comprising a sequence which has beenintroduced into the genome of a tomato plant by transformation.

H. Deposit Information

A deposit of tomato hybrid SV1240TC and inbred parent line FIR-15-2122,disclosed above and recited in the claims, has been made with theAmerican Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 10801 University Blvd.,Manassas, Va. 20110-2209. The date of deposit was Jul. 8, 2014. Theaccession numbers for those deposited seeds of tomato hybrid SV1240TCand inbred parent line FIR-15-2122 are ATCC Accession No. PTA-121374 andATCC Accession No. PTA-121373, respectively. Upon issuance of a patent,all restrictions upon the deposits will be removed, and the deposits areintended to meet all of the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §1.801-1.809. Thedeposits will be maintained in the depository for a period of 30 years,or 5 years after the last request, or for the effective life of thepatent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced if necessary duringthat period.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity andunderstanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tomato plant comprising at least a first set ofthe chromosomes of tomato line FIR-15-2122, a sample of seed of saidline having been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121373.
 2. Aseed comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes of tomato lineFIR-15-2122, a sample of seed of said line having been deposited underATCC Accession Number PTA-121373.
 3. The plant of claim 1, which is aninbred.
 4. The plant of claim 1, which is a hybrid.
 5. The seed of claim2, which is an inbred.
 6. The seed of claim 2, which is a hybrid.
 7. Theplant of claim 4, wherein the hybrid plant is tomato hybrid SV1240TC, asample of seed of said hybrid SV1240TC having been deposited under ATCCAccession Number PTA-121374.
 8. The seed of claim 6, defined as a seedof tomato hybrid SV1240TC, a sample of seed of said hybrid SV1240TChaving been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121374.
 9. Theseed of claim 2, defined as a seed of line FIR-15-2122.
 10. A plant partof the plant of claim
 1. 11. The plant part of claim 10, further definedas a leaf, an ovule, pollen, a fruit, or a cell.
 12. A tomato planthaving all the physiological and morphological characteristics of thetomato plant of claim
 7. 13. A tissue culture of regenerable cells ofthe plant of claim
 1. 14. The tissue culture according to claim 13,comprising cells or protoplasts from a plant part selected from thegroup consisting of embryos, meristems, cotyledons, pollen, leaves,anthers, roots, root tips, pistil, flower, seed and stalks.
 15. A tomatoplant regenerated from the tissue culture of claim
 13. 16. A method ofvegetatively propagating the tomato plant of claim 1 comprising thesteps of: (a) collecting tissue capable of being propagated from theplant according to claim 1; (b) cultivating said tissue to obtainproliferated shoots; and (c) rooting said proliferated shoots to obtainrooted plantlets.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising growingat least a first tomato plant from said rooted plantlets.
 18. A methodof introducing a desired trait into a tomato line comprising: (a)crossing a plant of line FIR-15-2122 with a second tomato plant thatcomprises a desired trait to produce F1 progeny, a sample of seed ofsaid line having been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121373;(b) selecting an F1 progeny that comprises the desired trait; (c)backcrossing the selected F1 progeny with a plant of line FIR-15-2122 toproduce backcross progeny; (d) selecting backcross progeny comprisingthe desired trait and the physiological and morphological characteristicof tomato line FIR-15-2122; and (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) three ormore times to produce selected fourth or higher backcross progeny thatcomprise the desired trait.
 19. A tomato plant produced by the method ofclaim
 18. 20. A method of producing a tomato plant comprising an addedtrait, the method comprising introducing a transgene conferring thetrait into a plant of tomato hybrid SV1240TC, or tomato lineFIR-15-2122, a sample of seed of said hybrid and line having beendeposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121374, and ATCC AccessionNumber PTA-121373, respectively.
 21. A plant produced by the method ofclaim
 20. 22. The plant of claim 1, further comprising a transgene. 23.The plant of claim 22, wherein the transgene confers a trait selectedfrom the group consisting of male sterility, herbicide tolerance, insectresistance, pest resistance, disease resistance, modified fatty acidmetabolism, environmental stress tolerance, modified carbohydratemetabolism and modified protein metabolism.
 24. The plant of claim 1,further comprising a single locus conversion.
 25. The plant of claim 24,wherein the single locus conversion confers a trait selected from thegroup consisting of male sterility, herbicide tolerance, insectresistance, pest resistance, disease resistance, modified fatty acidmetabolism, environmental stress tolerance, modified carbohydratemetabolism and modified protein metabolism.
 26. A method for producing aseed of a tomato plant derived from at least one of tomato hybridSV1240TC, or tomato line FIR-15-2122 comprising the steps of: (a)crossing a tomato plant of hybrid SV1240TC, or line FIR-15-2122 withitself or a second tomato plant; a sample of seed of said hybrid andline having been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121374, andATCC Accession Number PTA-121373, respectively; and (b) allowing seed ofa hybrid SV1240TC, or line FIR-15-2122-derived tomato plant to form. 27.The method of claim 26, further comprising the steps of: (c) selfing aplant grown from said hybrid SV1240TC, or FIR-15-2122-derived tomatoseed to yield additional hybrid SV1240TC, or line FIR-15-2122-derivedtomato seed; (d) growing said additional hybrid SV1240TC, or lineFIR-15-2122-derived tomato seed of step (c) to yield additional hybridSV1240TC, or line FIR-15-2122-derived tomato plants; and (e) repeatingthe crossing and growing steps of (c) and (d) to generate at least afirst further hybrid SV1240TC, or line FIR-15-2122-derived tomato plant.28. The method of claim 26, wherein the second tomato plant is of aninbred tomato line.
 29. The method of claim 27, further comprising: (f)crossing the further hybrid SV1240TC, or FIR-15-2122 -derived tomatoplant with a second tomato plant to produce seed of a hybrid progenyplant.
 30. A plant part of the plant of claim
 7. 31. The plant part ofclaim 30, further defined as a leaf, an ovule, pollen, a fruit, or acell.
 32. A method of producing a tomato seed comprising crossing theplant of claim 1 with itself or a second tomato plant and allowing seedto form.
 33. A method of producing a tomato fruit comprising: (a)obtaining the plant according to claim 1, wherein the plant has beencultivated to maturity; and (b) collecting a tomato from the plant.